Description
Review of the Jackson JS Series Dinky Arch Top JS22 DKAM Electric Guitar
The Jackson JS22 Dinky is a double cutaway solid body electric with an arched top, finished in Metallic Blue, fitted with two humbucking pickups, a maple neck, an amaranth fingerboard and a tremolo bridge. The Dinky outline is a slightly reduced body designed for faster playing. It is aimed at players heading toward rock and metal rather than at general-purpose beginners.
Pros & Cons
- Two humbuckers suit the music this guitar is built for. Humbuckers are louder and thicker than single coils and cancel the mains hum single coils pick up. Under heavy distortion that hum rejection is not a luxury, it is what keeps the sound usable.
- The arched top is a real construction feature. An arched body is carved rather than flat, which lifts the top edge away from the forearm and ribs. On a long session that is a comfort difference, not just a styling one.
- A tremolo bridge is fitted, with the arm as part of the design. This allows dips, vibrato and dive effects that a fixed bridge cannot produce, which is central to the playing style this guitar targets.
- Amaranth fingerboard on a maple neck. Amaranth, also sold as purpleheart, is a dense hardwood that resists the grooving steel strings cut into softer boards, and maple is stiff enough to hold the neck straight under tension.
- The body wood is given two different ways. The manufacturer description says an arched basswood body. The spec table says poplar for the body, back and top. Basswood and poplar are different timbers, both light and both used at this price, and the listing never reconciles them.
- The feature bullets claim specifications the listing does not state. They describe high-output ceramic humbuckers and a compound-radius fingerboard. The manufacturer description says only two humbucking pickups and an amaranth fingerboard, with no mention of magnet type or fingerboard radius anywhere in the data.
- No scale length is published at all. On a guitar whose entire premise is a reduced Dinky body, the scale length is the number that decides whether the frets are closer together than a standard instrument. It does not appear in the listing.
- The model identifiers do not match. The product name calls it JS22 DKAM while the item model number reads JS Series JS22 followed by a different part number. Anyone ordering parts or a replacement will need to check which one the seller uses.
- Nothing is included with the guitar. No amplifier, cable, strap, bag, tuner or spare strings are listed, so an instrument aimed at high gain playing arrives with no way to produce that sound.
Detailed Product Description
The body is a double cutaway solid body with an arched top in Metallic Blue, listed at 8.8 pounds. Both cutaways are deep, which is what lets the fretting hand reach the highest frets comfortably. That access, together with the arch, is the reason this shape is associated with lead playing rather than rhythm work. The wood is either basswood or poplar depending on which part of the listing is believed; both are light, soft and neutral in character, and both dent more easily than harder timbers.
The neck is maple with an amaranth fingerboard. Amaranth is dense, purple-brown when fresh and darkening with age, and left unlacquered so it does not feel tacky under the hand. Maple is the standard neck timber because it is stiff and stable under string tension. No fret count, nut width, neck profile or scale length is published, which on a guitar sold on its playability is a significant gap.
Electronics are two humbucking pickups in an H-H layout, and the bridge is a tremolo. A tremolo suits pitch effects but complicates string changes, since the springs behind the body have to stay balanced against string tension. Strings are nickel plated steel. Anyone changing to a heavier set for lower tunings should first read guitar string gauge explained, because a gauge change on a tremolo guitar means resetting the spring balance as well as the intonation.
What Comes with the Product
The listing covers the guitar alone. There is no amplifier, cable, strap, gig bag, case, tuner, spare strings or picks. An electric guitar produces almost no sound unamplified, and the distorted tone this design is built for requires an amplifier with real gain, so an amp and a cable are functional requirements rather than accessories. A strap is the next purchase, since this style of guitar is usually played standing.
Who It Suits
This suits a player moving toward rock or metal who wants humbuckers, a tremolo and easy upper-fret access, and who already owns an amplifier. It also suits an improving beginner stepping up from a single coil starter guitar to something better matched to heavier music. Look elsewhere if clean and glassy tones are the goal, since two humbuckers push in the opposite direction, or if a fixed bridge is preferred for simpler tuning and string changes. Compare the closely related Jackson JS22 Dinky in another finish, the Jackson JS22 DKA in satin black and the Ibanez GRG131DX. More sit in electric guitars, and guitar body shapes explained covers how this outline differs from the others.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings after each session so the nickel plating stays bright. Because the bridge is a tremolo, change strings one at a time so the spring tension never fully releases, then retune several times as the new set settles. Condition the amaranth fingerboard occasionally when the strings are off, since it is bare wood. Keep the gloss metallic finish clean with a soft dry cloth, and store the guitar away from radiators and out of unheated rooms where humidity swings will move the neck.
Tips and Recommendations
Have the guitar set up once it has settled for a couple of weeks. Action, intonation and tremolo spring balance all shift as an instrument acclimatises, and correcting them is what makes a fast neck feel fast. If the tremolo is not going to be used, blocking it improves tuning stability considerably and simplifies string changes. Buy an amplifier with a proper gain channel rather than relying on a clean amp, because the pickups here are chosen for that job. A wide padded strap helps if practice happens standing.
Product FAQ
What pickups does it have? Two humbucking pickups in an H-H layout. The listing does not state the magnet type, despite the feature bullets describing them as ceramic.
Does it have a tremolo? Yes. A tremolo bridge is fitted, which allows pitch bending but complicates string changes.
What is the body made of? The description says basswood and the spec table says poplar. The listing does not resolve the difference.
Is an amplifier included? No. The listing covers the guitar only, with no amp, cable, strap or bag.
